Former heavyweight king Andy Ruiz Jr. has lost an unbelievable amount of weight as the days fly by his anticipated return to the ring.
The 31-year-old has been working hard under Canelo Alvarez coach Eddy Reynoso ahead of a Pay Per View battle with Chris Arreola next week.
Promoters Premier Boxing Champions recently confirmed that Ruiz had dropped a staggering SIXTY pounds since 2019.
Ruiz lost his clutch of world title belts against Anthony Joshua in a rematch of their New York meeting. It’s been widely reported since then that Ruiz partied and enjoyed his victory at Madison Square Garden six months before way too much.
Dusting himself down and getting into a dark place, Ruiz has since emerged with renewed energy to regain his titles.
“Losing my last fight was devastating. I didn’t do the things that I was supposed to do,” Ruiz admitted. “That was the most important fight of my career.
“I had been waiting to become champion my whole life, and I started doing things I never thought I would be able to do.
“I don’t want to make those same mistakes again, and that’s a big part of what’s motivating me.”
Addressing going from 310 pounds at the height of disappointment of losing to 250 pounds under Reynoso, Ruiz added: “Now that I’ve been dropping weight the right way, I feel amazing.
“I feel like I can do a lot more things that I couldn’t do before because of my body. The sky is the limit for me.”
From 310lbs to 250lbs, @CaneloTeam instilled the discipline in @Andy_Destroyer1 to get him in the best shape of his life.
Order #RuizArreola on PPV: https://t.co/RaBl7yHGqv pic.twitter.com/hvZNeibdWc
— Premier Boxing Champions (@premierboxing) April 20, 2021
ANDY RUIZ JR. SPEED
Comments on the transformation have come thick and fast. Many believe Ruiz is a real threat to Tyson Fury and Joshua if he sticks to the weight loss.
As he already proved with AJ, he can hurt anyone. It’s the speed of Fury that potentially sets him apart from other heavyweights.
The consensus is Andy Ruiz Jr. would be able to combat that with his speed, but only if his discipline remains.
Fury faces Joshua in the most significant UK heavyweight fight in years. Whoever comes through could certainly consider Ruiz as a solid option moving forward.
As WBN reported, Al Haymon is hoping to pitch Ruiz in with Deontay Wilder before that in a PPV blockbuster by the end of 2021.
Phil Jay is the Editor of WBN. An Auxiliary member of the Boxing Writers Association of America since 2018. And a member of the Sports Journalists’ Association. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
